Complexity Digest 2001.13 - 04.02

Excerpt: The common ancestor of these two
lineages is believed to be A. afarensis, made famous by the Lucy
fossil. Over the last 15 years intense and successful fieldwork
has doubled the numbers of recognised hominin species, and
identified two new genera: Aridipithecus dating back to 4.4
million years ago, and Orrorin, claimed to be the oldest known
hominin dating back to 6 million years ago. To this complicated
picture is now added the genus of Kenyanthropus.